H.R. 1235 — what changed

On December 21, 1891, a young physical education instructor named James Naismith, introduced the game of “basket ball” to his physical education class, in Springfield, Massachusetts.

In 1959, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame was founded and dedicated to the game’s creator Dr. James Naismith, in Springfield, MA, “The Birthplace of Basketball” and became the first and only museum to honor the game at all levels around the world.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame honors players who have achieved greatness, exemplary coaches, referees and other major contributors to the sport of basketball. The Inaugural Hall of Fame Class of 1959 had seventeen honorees who were inducted, including Dr. James Naismith, George Mikan, Forrest C. Allen, Angelo Luisetti, Original Celtics and First Team.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is recognized throughout the world as the premier institution entrusted with recording and disseminating the history of the game of basketball and recognizing and honoring the achievements of its greatest players, coaches, and contributors.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame provides an entertaining, enriching experience and is known for its educational outreach programs and celebrates and promotes positive core values demonstrated by basketball’s hallowed heroes and its founder.

Since its opening in 1959, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is home to the largest collection of basketball memorabilia in the world, including more than 30,000 three-dimensional objects, 800,000 photographs, and 1.5 million documents.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s customized educational programs use basketball to teach young students around the world the important lessons on a variety of topics including: financial literacy, mathematics, civil rights, leadership of character, women’s and men’s history, and geography.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame will lead the celebration of the 60th Anniversary of Basketball and will partner with a select group of constituents including the National Basketball Association, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and USA Basketball in commemorating the game throughout the 2019–2020 basketball season.

In general— The design for the coins minted under this Act shall be—

selected by the Secretary after consultation with the Commission of Fine Arts; and

reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.

Designations and inscriptions— On each coin minted under this Act there shall be—

a designation of the value of the coin;

inscriptions of the words “Liberty”, “In God We Trust”, “United States of America”, and “E Pluribus Unum”.

In general— The Secretary shall hold a competition to determine the design of the common obverse of the coins minted under this Act, with such design being emblematic of the game of basketball.

Selection and approval— Proposals for the design of coins minted under this Act may be submitted in accordance with the design selection and approval process developed by the Secretary in the sole discretion of the Secretary.

Proposals— As part of the competition described in this subsection, the Secretary may accept proposals from artists, engravers and other employees of the United States Mint, other Government employees, and members of the general public.

Compensation— The Secretary shall determine compensation for the winning design under this subsection, which shall be not less than $5,000. The Secretary shall take into account this compensation amount when determining the sale price described in section 6(a).

Reverse design— The design on the common reverse of the coins minted under this Act shall depict a basketball.

Quality of coins— Coins minted under this Act shall be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities.